Adjustable Stenographic Keyboard Device and Method for Electronically Adjusting Key Depth Sensitivity

ABSTRACT

A device and method for determining key registration settings in a stenographic device, includes a plurality of keys making up a standard stenographic keyboard, each key having a resting position, a depressed position, and a range of depression positions between the resting position and the depressed position, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and to the plurality of keys. The processor is operable to store in the memory, for at least one of the keys, a depression indicator corresponding to a current depression position of the key selected from the resting position, the depressed position, and one of the depression positions within the range of depression positions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application:

-   -   is a divisional of U.S. patent application entitled        “Stenographic Keyboard Device Providing Extended Set of Keys and        Method for Electronically Adjusting Key Depth Sensitivity”        (Attorney Docket No. Advantage/Keyboard DIV2), being filed        concurrently herewith;    -   is a divisional of U.S. patent application entitled        “Stenographic Keyboard Device Providing Extended Set of Keys and        Method for Electronically Adjusting Key Depth Sensitivity”        (Attorney Docket No. Advantage/Keyboard DIV3), being filed        concurrently herewith;    -   is a divisional of U.S. patent application entitled “Adjustable        Stenographic Keyboard Device and Method for Electronically        Adjusting Key Depth Sensitivity” (Attorney Docket No.        Advantage/Keyboard DIV4), being filed concurrently herewith;    -   is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/930,895,        filed Oct. 31, 2007 (which application claims the benefit under        35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No.        60/855,547, filed Oct. 31, 2006); and    -   is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. No. 7,572,078, filed Mar.        11, 2005 (which application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.        §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/552,569, filed        Mar. 12, 2004),        the complete disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by        reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The invention lies in the field of keystroke devices. In particular, theinvention is in the field of computer or stenographic keyboards andmethods and software for interpreting keystrokes of these keyboards.

Various keystroke devices exist in the art. The most prevalent keystrokedevice is a computer keyboard. The keys of a standard computer keyboardare merely switches electronically indicating only a depressed state.Therefore, no signal is output or indicated by the keyboard when akeyboard is at rest, and a signal corresponding to depressed key(s) isoutput or indicated only when at least one key is depressed sufficientlyfar to “set off” the switch of that key or the switches of that set ofkeys.

A typewriter also has a keyboard, which can be mechanical and/orelectronic Like the computer keyboard, actuation (e.g., depression) of akey is intended to print a character. In electronic typewriters, when akey is actuated sufficiently far, a signal is sent to a processor tohave the corresponding key(s) printed on the typing medium (e.g.,paper). Mechanical typewriters are similar to electronic typewriters,but with one significant difference. Mechanical typewriters connect thekey of the keyboard directly to the hammer containing the correspondingcharacter to be printed on the page. Such a connection typically placesthe key at the end of a lever connected to a fulcrum and, when the leveris depressed at a proximal end, the distal end of the lever forciblycontacts or causes a hammer to pivot its distal end towards the page. Aprinting ribbon is disposed between the page and the end of travel ofthe hammer and a character formed at the end of the hammer is printed onthe paper because the raised character presses the printing ribbonagainst the page. Because such an assembly is a mechanical connectiondependent upon the pressure imparted by the user, the hammer can hit thepage with varying degrees of force. A relatively hard contact produces aclearly printed character on the page. In contrast, a relatively softcontact may produce a lightly printed character, which also can bereferred to as a “shadow.” For mechanical typewriters, it is moredesirable to have clearly printed characters than to have shadowcharacters. Therefore, improvements were made over the history ofmechanical typewriters to guarantee relatively uniform contact betweenthe hammer and the page, which improvements were, thereafter,incorporated into most electronic typewriters.

Another keystroke device can be found on stenographic devices. The mostmodern stenographic devices are entirely electronic and virtuallyimmediately translate the stenographic key actuations into an accuratewritten representation of the spoken word. These modern devices areanalogous to the electronic typewriters and computer keyboards in that aspecific actuation of a key or set of keys will cause a clear printingor storage of the corresponding character or set of characters.Insufficient depression of a key(s) will not generate any output.Alternatively, depression of a set of keys (which is common forstenographic dictation) where one or more keys is sufficiently actuatedbut one or more other key(s) is insufficiently actuated will generate anoutput that does not correspond to the stenographers' intended output.Thus, the stenographer or computer associated with the stenographicdevice might not be able to accurately translate the inadequatelyactuated key(s) depending upon what was actually output to the paper orthe electronically stored file.

The earlier stenographic devices provided an advantage over the modernstenographic devices. The older devices gave a stenographer some abilityto determine a correct output from an incorrect input because theseolder mechanical devices printed the output on the paper in varyingdegrees of lightness. Stenographers refer to a lightly printed output as“shadow” output. So, if an intended output was lightly printed on thestenographic paper, that stenographer might have been able to determinewhat was intended during the original dictation and correctly translatethe spoken word in the final transcript. Modern stenographic devices,however, are not able to electronically understand or store shadowoutput. If the stenographer does not actuate a key adequately, then nooutput is generated. And, if keys of a set of keys are actuated invarying degrees, then incorrect output is transcribed.

Prior art stenographic keyboards all have a rear and middle row of tenkeys each and a front row of four keys, the latter being closer to thestenographer than the former. In such machines, the keys of the frontrow correspond to vowels. These keys are, in the prior art, at a levellower (closer to ground) than the two rear rows.

Some prior art machines are illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6. FIGS. 1 and 2are views of a stenographic writer manufactured by the StenographCorporation and called a Mira. This keyboard does not include the keysto the left of the two rear rows mentioned above. As is clear from FIG.1, the vowel keys in the front row are in a different, lower, plane thanthe keys in the two rear rows.

The Mira has the ability to adjust key sensitivity but this adjustmentis entirely mechanical, it is also inconvenient. As shown in FIG. 3,where the top of the machine is opened, there are individual keysensitivity adjustment wheels for each of the keys. Thus, in order tomake any adjustment, the top of the machine must be opened. This meansthat stenography cannot occur while making a key sensitivity adjustmentand also means that the screen of the Mira cannot be viewed while inthis adjustment mode. More importantly, after an adjustment has beenmade, the top must be closed before the user can check to see if theadjustment was adequate. So, the adjustment process must be repeated ona trial-and-error basis for each key, which can be extremelytime-consuming. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the depth-of-stroke adjustmentwheel and the tension adjustment wheel, respectively. It is noted thatthe stroke adjustment wheel is hard to reach and cannot be accessedunless the top of the machine is opened. The stroke adjustment wheel isstiff and only permits a small fraction of adjustment as compared to theentire key stroke. Practically, a user cannot type with the machinewhile an adjustment is being made. Similarly, the tension adjustmentwheel in FIG. 5 only allows a small adjustment. Again, the top of themachine must be opened, making it impractical to write on the machine atthe same time that an adjustment is being made.

In stenographic machines that are used in countries outside Europe,there are additional keys to the left of the two rear rows. Theseadditional keys are at the same level as the keys in the rear two rowsand correspond to different characters that are not needed for Englishtranscription. These keys, in use, can be depressed individually ortogether. When such machines are used by United States trainedstenographers, these keys are a distraction and/or get in the way oftheir typing. Accordingly, most machines sold in the United States donot include these keys. In other machines, such users commonly removethese keys.

FIG. 6 illustrates another prior art stenographic machine referred to asthe Tréal TR, manufactured by Word Technologies. This writer is notadjustable and has plunger-activated keys. There are three holes shownon the left-hand side where the extra set of keys were positioned beforethey were removed. These keys existed in the same plane as the otherkeys of the three 10-key rear rows. Another prior art writer similar tothis machine is called the Gemini, manufactured by the Neutrino Group.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an adjustablestenographic keyboard device keys and a method for electronicallyadjusting key depth sensitivity that overcome the hereinafore-mentioneddisadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of thisgeneral type and that provide additional keyboard functions, such ascontrol, alt, and shift, a more convenient key height, and individualelectronic adjustment of key sensitivity.

As set forth above, prior art stenographic machines sometimes includekeys to the left of the 10-key rows. However, these keys are used solelyfor different characters and are available only for internationalmarkets; they are not used for English transcription. The presentinvention places a single key to the left of each of the two rear rows(these keys are in the second and third rows when start of countingbegins at the front row). These two keys, in contrast to any prior artmechanism, have a top surface that is substantially lower than the topsurface of the keys in the two rear rows. In particular, the topsurfaces of these additional keys are at a level lower than the greatestdepression level of any of the keys in the two rear rows. As such, evena full depression of the two left-most keys (corresponding to the “S”phonetic sound) will not permit the wide-pinkied user to accidentallydepress either of the two additional left keys. In addition, in thenormal writing position, the user will not be able to feel these extrakeys, and, therefore, will not misplace his/her hands on the keyboard,which would result in inaccurate fingering.

The present invention uses these two additional keys to expand the“vocabulary” of the standard stenographic keyboard, shown, for example,in FIG. 7. With these additional keys, when any one or both aredepressed, three additional keyboards and, therefore, at least 72additional keys, can be accessed, much like the control, shift, and altkeys on a conventional computer keyboard. If a third key is added inthis new column next to the fourth (top) row key, then even more keypossibilities become available to the user. These additional keys can beused to represent any character or character set. They can also be usedin combination with other standard keys to create additional commands,much like the control, shift, and alt commands of computer keyboards.Additional keys are also necessary for some foreign stenographictheories. Even though the new keys are disposed at a level lower thanthe lowest depression level of the keys, the user can be trained to usethese new keys in a way to make available these foreign stenographictheories. Alternatively, the keys can be designed to rest at twodifferent heights depending on the user's choice. In another alternativeembodiment, the shorter keys can be replaced with taller keys that, wheninstalled, have a top surface at a height equal to the top surfaceheight of the other keys. In this way, foreign theories of stenographycan be accommodated.

Four additional keys can increase the different possible combinations inone stenographic stroke from 2²⁴ to 2²⁷. While 2²⁴ is already a hugenumber, the practical number of combinations is much lower; it islimited by the human hand to a maximum of 20 bits out of the maximum of24 bits. The keys added by the present invention dramatically increasethe useful number of keys that can be combined into a single stroke.This increase allows the reporter to write faster because they cancreate many more practical single-stroke entries.

An additional feature of the present invention does not place the fourvowel keys of the front row in a plane lower than the keys of the tworear rows. Raising these keys produces advantages that were not providedpreviously. For example, stress on the wrist is reduced. Also, raisingthe keys makes it easier for users with small hands to reach the moredistant keys when the vowel keys are simultaneously depressed.

Prior art keystroke sensing devices simply sense whether a key has beenpressed or not. The device according to the invention, in contrast,senses how far a key has been pressed and displays, produces, and/orcommunicates intermediate values corresponding to the extent of keyactuation. The output can be tertiary, in that the key is (1) notactuated, (2) partially actuated, or (3) fully actuated. Alternatively,the output can have any number of degrees, ten for example.

The keystroke device is used particularly with a stenotype machine(e.g., for court reporters) and emulates, in a modern digital stenotypemachine, a sensitivity adjustment previously existing only in paperstenotype machines. In paper stenotype machines, when a court reporterlightly touched a key(s), then the paper would be printed, not with aclear print of the keystroke, but with a light or shadow keystroke. Asused herein, the words “keystroke” or a “stenographic keystroke” includeany possible actuation of a key device or set of key devices. In otherwords, the definition includes both recognized key actuations (whetherfor a single key or a set of more than one key) and any unrecognized,accidental, incorrect, and/or inadvertent actuation of a single key or aset of more than one key.

In the past where paper machines were only available, if a courtreporter desired, the sensitivity of the paper machine could be adjustedfor that court reporter's particular style of keystroke actuation usinga mechanical sensitivity adjustment device. These stenotype machines haddepth-of-stroke and tension adjustments that affected the wholekeyboard. Individual keys could not be adjusted. It is noted thatshadows were not written intentionally with these machines. They simplyoccurred during use and their presence could be used later to aid thereporter in determining what stroke was actually intended because ashadow indicates that a key was partially depressed during a stroke.Sometimes, the reporter means to hit the key that registered a shadow,but does not hit it hard enough. Other times, the reporter does not meanto hit the key at all, but “dragged” a key, which occurs most often withthe ring finger because it is difficult to keep this finger elevatedwhen adjacent fingers are dropped.

Even though individual adjustment of keys was not available, anyadjustment of keys was considered advantageous because court reportersuse their fingers for hours at a time. Adjustment of keys towards themost comfortable return bias was (and remains to be) desirable. Further,different stenographers stroke the keys in unique ways. Allowingdetection of shadows permits a user to correct bad keystroke habits.

Now, digital machines are replacing paper machines. However, for priorart digital machines, if a reporter actuates a key(s) lightly, then nostroke is registered at all. Only after the stenographer depressed thekey past its registration point would a stroke be registered. Becauserecordation of shadows helps the stenographer, it would be desirable toemulate the paper machine functionality by registering lighterkeystrokes on the computer, preferably, with a visibly shadowed orvisibly lighter indication on the stenotype's digital display.

The device and method according to the invention electronically sensesan actuation depth of an individual key. A sensor is disposed to sensethe actuation depth. In particular, an optical sensor is disposed near acam and detects a light source emanating towards the optical sensor fromanother side of the cam. As the cam moves out of the light path or intothe light path, such a sensor detects a strong or weak signal. Thestrong signal can mean that a standard character (not shadowed) isoutput and a weak signal can translate into a display of a shadowedcharacter, or vice-versa depending upon the desired receiverconfiguration.

The device according to the invention can also include an integrateddata processing system that translates, in virtual real-time, thestenographic keystrokes into understandable English and stores both datain a memory (e.g., RAM, ROM, removable media) locally or wirelessly toan external location. A significant advantage to this concept is thatthe remote computer has the ability to contain a superior translator tothe translator present in the writer. This concept also can entirelynegate the requirement of having a translator within the writer (as longas a connection to the external translator is available). The device caninclude a transceiver utilizing a bi-directional data channel totransmit untranslated stenographic data to a translating computer inreal time. The translating computer can, then, translate thestenographic data and transmit a translated data stream back to thedevice, or to any combination of other devices that can be connected(directly or wirelessly) to the translating computer, for almost realtime use and/or analysis by the stenographer. One example of such asystem provides the stenographic device with a connection (direct orwireless) to the Internet and the translating computer with a connection(direct or wireless) to the Internet. Thus, commonly available Internetconnection devices available at the location where the stenographer istaking data can be used to facilitate quick and inexpensive translationof stenographic data.

The device according to the invention can also include a multimediarecorder that can store, in a memory, digital video images and audiodata. By recording the audio and/or video of the subject(s) of thestenographer on the device, it becomes possible to associate a portionof the multi-media file with a stenographic stroke. Such recording andcoordination of stenographic and video and/or audio data allows thestenographer to play back images of and/or sounds from the subject toassist in the accurate translation of the stenographic keystrokes. Suchmulti-media data can also be transmitted to other computers and/orlocations through network connections, for example, over the Internet,by wireless connections, such as Bluetooth, by direct connections, suchas RS-232, universal serial bus, IRDA, Firewire, or by any otheravailable data communications method to assist the stenographer inaccurate translation of the stenographic data.

The intermediate key depth sensing ability of the present invention canbe used to provide an “on-the-fly” adjustment mechanism for each keyindividually. The device according to the invention provides anelectronic key adjustment display. In the adjustment display mode, as akey is depressed, a vertical bar (for example) drops down from the topof the screen. The farther down the key is pressed, the further the barextends. This bar can also be color coded to indicate relative positionwith respect to a registration point of the key. For example, the barcan be blue in color until it reaches the currently set registrationpoint. At the set registration point, the bar turns green. In additionto the bar extending and changing color, the particular registrationpoint can be marked. For example, a red line can mark the registrationpoint within the green bar or below the blue bar during the adjustmentdisplay mode. When the key is released, the red line will remain. Thisred line can be moved up or down using a cursor device, such as a scrollwheel. Moving the red line upwards makes the key more sensitive (i.e.,the registration point is earlier in the stroke) and moving the red linedownwards makes the key less sensitive (i.e., the registration point islater in the stroke).

There exists a problem with stenotype machines that have non-digitalkeystroke detection and registration. This problem is referred to as“stacking” and occurs when a stenographic translation system cannotdistinguish between two adjacent words or keystrokes. As one couldexpect, if keystrokes are “blurred” from one to another, translationsthat need to be completely accurate will degrade appreciably if thisproblem is not corrected.

The present invention has the ability to sense and record the direction(down/up) of each key instantaneously. Thus, to eliminate any occurrenceof stacking, the software need only be programmed to find the low-pointof any key depression. When the key begins to return to the un-actuatedposition (i.e., moves upwards), the software recognizes that thedepression of the key has finished and any further depression of thatkey will be considered as a new keystroke. To enhance the anti-stackingmeasures, the start of each up and down stroke of each key isviewed/recorded. Thus, if some keys start their down motion after otherkeys start their up motion, the down-motion keys are placed into thenext stenographic keystroke. Applying this process virtually eliminatesstacking.

The hardware-induced bounce caused by the contact-sensing mechanisms onprior art devices needed to be corrected. Accordingly, these prior artdevices may have employed “de-bouncing.” De-bouncing is usuallyperformed with software or by an electronic device. The usual method isto sample the digital signal for x amount of time, called a “sample andhold” method. The time that the signal must be sampled before adetermination of its state is made is directly related to the mass ofthe switch and the velocity of the activation. For a relatively highmass switch, this can create a minimum sample time that is greater thanthe physical switching time required in many applications. Anotherdisadvantageous characteristic of prior-art de-bounce method is theincrease in the possibility of separating a single intended stroke intotwo separate strokes.

The present invention, by using an optical system, has a sample and holdtime that is only limited by the speed of the available analog todigital converters. As such, the present invention can actually treatthe key events as a waveform and treat the activation event as just apoint on the wave that describes the keys location and speed. Themodeling of key events as waves, and not as digital events, is abreakthrough that will allow the next big step in accuracy for courtreporters. The device and method of the present invention does not havethe disadvantage of splitting and, therefore, entirely removes thepossibility of this problem inherent in prior art stenotype machines.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, inaccordance with the invention, a stenographic device including aplurality of keys making up a standard stenographic keyboard, each keyhaving a resting position, a depressed position, and a range ofdepression positions between the resting position and the depressedposition, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to thememory and to the plurality of keys, the processor operable to store inthe memory, for at least one of the keys, a depression indicatorcorresponding to a current depression position of the key selected fromthe resting position, the depressed position, and one of the depressionpositions within the range of depression positions.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the processor isfurther operable to store in the memory a key-press registration pointassociated with one of the plurality of keys.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the processor isfurther operable to store in the memory a respective key-pressregistration point for each of the plurality of keys.

In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the key-pressregistration point is located within the range of depression positionsbetween the resting position and the depressed position.

In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, there isprovided a key sensitivity adjuster operable to set the key-pressregistration point to a given value.

In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the given valuecorresponds to one of the range of depression positions between theresting position and the depressed position. With the objects of theinvention in view, there is also provided a method for determining keyregistration settings in a stenographic device, including the steps ofreceiving information indicating a depression depth of a key on astandard stenographic keyboard, the key having a movement range betweena key inactivity high and a key depression low, the depression depthbeing located within a range of positions between the key inactivityhigh and the key depression low, and storing in a memory a depressionindicator corresponding to a current depression position of the keyselected from the key inactivity high, the key depression low, and aposition within the range of positions between the key inactivity highand the key depression low.

With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided amethod for determining key registration settings in a stenographicdevice, including the steps of receiving information indicatingrespective depression depths of keys on a standard stenographickeyboard, each of the keys having a movement range between a keyinactivity high and a key depression low, the depression depth beinglocated within a range of positions between the key inactivity high andthe key depression low, storing in a memory a depression indicatorcorresponding to a current depression position of each of the keys, eachcurrent depression position being selected from the key inactivity high,the key depression low, and a position within the range of positionsbetween the key inactivity high and the key depression low, comparingdepression indicators with a respective one of the registration pointsto thereby determine which of the keys is actuated currently anddefining a stenographic keystroke from a combined set of each of thekeys currently actuated.

In accordance with another mode of the invention, there are provided thesteps of defining a registration point for the key as a given value ofthe depression indicator where the key is actuated and registers astenographic keystroke of the key and storing in the memory theregistration point of the key.

In accordance with a further mode of the invention, the depressionindicator is compared with the registration point to thereby determineif the key is actuated currently.

In accordance with an added mode of the invention, an actuation of thekey is stored in the memory when the comparison of the depressionindicator with the registration point indicates that the currentdepression depth of the key has reached the registration point.

In accordance with an additional mode of the invention, a non-actuationof the key is stored in the memory when the comparison of the depressionindicator with the registration point indicates that the currentdepression depth of the key has not reached the registration point.

In accordance with yet another mode of the invention, an audible noiseis emitted when the comparison of the depression indicator with theregistration point indicates that the current depression depth of thekey has reached the registration point.

In accordance with a concomitant mode of the invention, the stenographickeystroke is stored in the memory.

Other features that are considered as characteristic for the inventionare set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodiedin an adjustable stenographic keyboard device and a method forelectronically adjusting key depth sensitivity, it is, nevertheless, notintended to be limited to the details shown because variousmodifications and structural changes may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and within the scope andrange of equivalents of the claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however,together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be bestunderstood from the following description of specific embodiments whenread in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a prior art stenographicmachine from the front;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the prior art stenographicmachine of FIG. 1 from above the front;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view of an interior portion of theprior art stenographic machine of FIG. 1 from above the front;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, perspective view of another interior portion ofthe prior art stenographic machine of FIG. 1 from above the rear;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, enlarged, perspective view of a portion of theprior art stenographic machine of FIG. 3 from above the front;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of another prior artstenographic machine from above the front;

FIG. 7 is a block circuit diagram of a stenographic system according tothe invention;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a first embodiment of the method forassigning shadows according to the invention;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a second embodiment of the methodfor assigning shadows according to the invention;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the stenographic machineaccording to the invention from a front left side;

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic illustration of a standard stenographickeyboard;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the stenographic machine of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the keyboard assembly of the stenographicmachine of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of an exemplary display of the stenographicmachine of FIG. 10 indicating a single key pressed past a registrationpoint;

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the exemplary display of FIG. 14 indicating asingle key insufficiently pressed to register;

FIG. 16 is a plan view of the exemplary display of FIG. 14 indicating aset of keys pressed, some of which are pressed past their respectiveregistration points;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the keyboard assembly of FIG. 13;

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a portion of the keyboard assembly of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a front elevational view of a portion of the keyboardassembly of FIG. 17;

FIG. 20 is a right side elevational view of a portion of the keyboardassembly of FIG. 17;

FIG. 21 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the keyboard assembly ofFIG. 13 from the front left corner; and

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the keyboard assembly ofFIG. 13 from the front right corner.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Emulation of the appearance of a printed stenotype output with apaperless electronic stenotype machine having an electronic display(e.g., LED, LCD, Flat Panel) can occur by electrically supplying depthinformation for each key pressed by the user in addition to theelectronic data corresponding to the particular stenographic stroke,also sometimes referred to herein as a “word”. When a stroke isregistered but is within a specified range less than a full depth of thestroke, the stroke can be stored electronically as a shadow. If, forexample, ten values of shadow can be detected (or are programmed to bedetectable), those values can be assigned to a specific level ofbrightness (e.g., in a look-up table or programmed in an EEPROM orstored in a flash RAM, hard drive, or static RAM) or, instead of alook-up table, an equation can be used to shift the depth value bytefour bits to get an intensity scale. Thus, the shadow will display onthe output screen as characters lighter than a non-shadowed character.Instead of using merely brightness of the character(s) as the visibleindicator, the shadow can also be varied using a difference in color,font, or other display attribute, or even by a combination of differentdisplay attributes.

Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first,particularly to FIG. 7 thereof, there is shown a block circuit diagramof a stenographic device according to the invention. The stenographicmachine 1 has a keyboard 10 having plurality of keystroke devices, whichare connected to an on-board microprocessor 2. A memory 3 (e.g., RAM,ROM, hard drive, removable memory) is connected to the microprocessor 2for storing data and supplying stored data to the microprocessor 2. Adisplay 4 is connected to the microprocessor 2 for displayingstenographic and/or translated data and for displaying the shadowsdetermined/detected by the microprocessor 2. The microprocessor 2controls all electronic operations including receiving stenographic dataand shadow data, storing all data, and displaying all desired processes,which processes can include the stenographic and/or level data itself,indications that data is being stored, indications that data is beingtranslated, translated stenographic output, and many others.

Depending upon the configuration of the stenographic device, atranslator 5 can be on-board the device and, therefore, it is directlyconnected to the microprocessor 2 for translating stored or incoming(real-time) stenographic data. Thus, input electronics for the keystrokedevice can be directly connected to the same processor 2 that controlsthe translation program, and the functions of input, shadowdetermination, translation, and correction/editing can be performed on asingle unit 1.

If the translator is not on board the stenographer's device 1, then thedevice 1 can be connected to an external stenographic translator 6, inwhich case the translator 6 is separate from the stenographic device 1and information stored in the memory 3 is relayed 7 either by transferthrough an intermediate media (e.g., floppy disk, micro-drive), in whichcase the device will have a floppy drive, USB port, Firewire port, etc.,or wirelessly through some kind of communication data link (e.g., aBluetooth, ISDN, Internet, or other wireless data link), in which casethe device will have an on-board transceiver 8.

In either case, the translator 5, 6 translates the stenographic data tothe respective language (e.g., English). When the device 1 is associateddirectly with a translation system, translation occurs quickly so thatthe stenographer can view his/her stenographic keystrokes in almostreal-time and in relatively understandable English (dependent upon thequality of the word/translation processor). The memory 3 will store thetranslation locally 3, 11 and/or externally 7, 9.

FIG. 7 further illustrates the stenographic device 1 and an embodiment 9for connecting the device to an external stenographic translator 6. Inthe example of FIG. 7, the translator 6 is connected to the Internet andis housed at a location different from the stenographer's location. Insuch a networked configuration, the transceiver 8 can utilize abi-directional data channel to transmit the un-translated stenographicdata to the external translating computer 6 (represented by the dashedarrows), whether in real time or delayed. The translating computer 6can, then, translate the stenographic data and transmit a translateddata stream back to the device immediately or at a later time and to anyother device that can be connected (directly or wirelessly) to thetranslating computer (also represented by the dashed arrows). Thus, thestenographer can have almost real-time analysis even without having anon-board translator.

One example of such a system 9 provides the stenographic device 1 with aconnection (e.g., a direct or wireless transceiver 8) to the Internetand the external translating computer 6 with a connection (direct orwireless) also to the Internet. Thus, commonly available Internetconnection devices available at the location where the stenographer istaking data can be used to facilitate quick and inexpensive translationof stenographic data without having to store the translation software onthe stenographer's machine 1.

When the device 1 has an integrated word processing system, then thefunctions of dictation, translation, and editing of the translation canbe performed by the stenographer on a single machine.

The device 1 can also include a multi-media recorder 11 that can store,in an on-board memory or the memory 3, digital video images and/or audiodata. By recording the audio and/or video of the subject(s) of thestenographer on the device, it becomes possible to associate a portionof the multi-media file with a stenographic stroke. Such recording andcoordination of stenographic and video and/or audio data allows thestenographer to playback images of and/or sounds from the subject toassist in the accurate translation of the stenographic keystrokes. Suchmulti-media data can also be transmitted to other computers and/orlocations through network connections, for example, over the Internet,by wireless connections, such as Bluetooth, by direct connections, suchas RS-232, universal serial bus, IRDA, Firewire, or by any otheravailable data communications measures to assist the stenographer inaccurate translation of the stenographic data.

If a stroke registered by the device is not in the user's stenographicdictionary, an internal algorithm of the translator 5, 6 can beactivated to add and/or remove shadowed keys from the stroke until astenographic match is found for the particular key(s) activation,somewhat like a closest-match routine known in the art of spell-checkingdevices. Thus, where a partial key actuation (shadow) occurs and thekeystroke is not translatable, the shadowed keystroke can be combinedwith other similar stenographic keystrokes and, along with a spellingand grammar checking device, and can be corrected to fix a mis-stroke orcan provide the stenographer with a list of various possibletranslations for that mis-stroke, which list would be examined by thestenographer at a later time, i.e., when the stenographic dictationbreaks or at another location entirely.

A first exemplary method for interpreting a depth of the keystroke isillustrated with respect to the flowchart of FIG. 8. In Step 100, aquery is performed to determine if a stroke has been detected. If astroke has been detected, then, in Step 200, the level of the stroke isdetermined, in other words, whether or not the stroke is a shadowstroke. If the level is determined to be full (complete actuation of thekeystroke), then, the corresponding stenographic stroke with or withouta full-level indicator is/are stored/transcribed in Step 300. If thelevel of the stroke is determined to be partial, then two possibilitiesoccur. If the system is only configured to register a full stroke or apartial-stroke, then, in Step 400, the just-received stenographic strokeis indicated as being a partial-level (shadow), and the correspondingstenographic keystroke and a shadow indicator are stored/transcribed inStep 500. If, however, the system is configured to detect more than justone partial-level, the corresponding actuation level is detected and theappropriate shadow is determined along with the detection of thejust-received stenographic stroke in Step 400. In such a case, thecorresponding stenographic stroke and shadow level arestored/transcribed in Step 500.

A query is made in step 600 to determine if stroke entry is finished(which, for example, may be indicated by a separate input from thestenographer). If the answer is no (e.g., the default situation), then,the device 1 waits in Step 700 for the receipt of a new stroke (meetinga predefined minimum keystroke depth requirement).

Registering of a keystroke is detected in Step 100 by a changetransmitted by a keystroke device sensor, e.g., in an analog voltage orby a digital position indicator. In a digital system, the depth of thekeystroke is translated into a digital numeric value. The value can havemore than three variations or can be a tertiary value, including on,off, and shadow. Subsequently, the value is translated into a visualindicator for the corresponding shadow or full value, the indicatorincluding color, shade, font style, position, and/or size of the symbolthat represents the actuated key or set of keys (these examples beingonly representative of possible visual display characteristics). If thestenographer is finished entering keystrokes (i.e., end of the job),then the keystrokes are translated in Step 800. It is noted thattranslation can be in real-time and, therefore, the circuit of Steps 100to 700 can be repeated continuously and occur in parallel withtranslation. In such a configuration, Step 600 would be omitted and thedashed arrows in FIG. 8 would be performed instead.

A second exemplary method for interpreting depth of the keystroke isillustrated with respect to the flowchart of FIG. 9. In Step 1000, thestenographic dictation begins. In Step 1100, audio and/or video of theproceedings to be stenographed are recorded electronically, whichrecording is an option to be selected by the stenographer. In Step 1200,a query is performed to determine if any key has been pressed past itsregistration point. If not, the system waits until this event occurs. InStep 1300, a query is performed to determine if all keys that are pastthe registration point create a recognizable stenographic stroke.

If the answer is yes, then, in Step 1400 a, the time of the recognizablestroke is recorded and stored with the stenographic data in a massstorage device and/or internal memory and the audio and/or video datafile is also stored along with information regarding the location in thedata file of the stored stenographic data. Accordingly, the user can goback to the stenographic stroke and correct any errors in transcriptionby examining the relevant video and/or audio. It is optional, in Step1500 a, to pass the stored stenographic stroke to an internal translatorand/or to produce a text display.

If the answer is no and a recognizable stenographic stroke is notcreated, then an attempt to produce a recognizable stroke is performedbased upon all of the keys that passed the registration point incombination with any partial key presses that did not reach registrationpoint but were pressed in some way. Specifically, in Step 1400 b, thetime of the unrecognizable stroke is recorded and stored with thestenographic data in a mass storage device and/or internal memory andthe audio and/or video data file is also stored along with informationregarding the location in the data file of the stored stenographic data.Accordingly, the user can go back to the stenographic stroke and correctany errors in transcription by examining the relevant video and/oraudio. In Step 1500 b, the unrecognizable stroke is passed to aninternal translator to find a likely match or a set of possible matches.A text display can be made and/or a suitable signal (beep) can occur tonotify the user that a potential error in transcription has occurred.The user can view the stroke, which will include any partial key pressesidentified by a different color, intensity of color, font, and/or size.If possible (because transcription is still occurring), the user canselect the appropriate translation from the suggestions in real time.

In Step 1600, the stenographic data is transmitted to an externaltranslator through some communications link, e.g., RS-232, USB, Network,Bluetooth, Firewire, WIFI, or any other data transmission measures.Optionally, in Step 1700, an external translator can check thetranslation data and relay that data through an available output device,such as an RS-232 port or network connection to an external displaydevice such as a computer. This process is repeated until dictation iscomplete.

It is noted that the optional recording of audio and/or video dataallows CIC and permits the user to track the stenographic data with thecorresponding audio/video data and, thereby, correct any incorrectstenographic translation.

FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of a first embodiment of a stenographicwriter 1 of the present invention. The writer 1 has a body 12 and akeyboard 14, making up an entirety of a standard stenographic keyboard.The keys shown in FIG. 10 are illustrated in their normal rest, orundepressed, state. A conventional stenographic keyboard has four rows,the front row 16 having four keys corresponding to vowels and two rearrows 20, 30 of ten keys each as shown in FIG. 11. The two left-most keyscorrespond to the same letter and, therefore, are shown in FIG. 11 as asingle key. On traditional machines, an “S” is produced whether thereporter presses the key in the second row or the third row becausethese keys are tied together—they are essentially one key. By adding anadditional key in the present invention, the reporter has the option ofdefining each key differently. The benefits are the same as for theextra keys on the far left-hand side of the keyboard. The presentinvention also employs the same separation with the asterisk key,located at the middle of the keyboard. On traditional machines, althoughit might appear that there are two keys in the middle, they are, infact, tied together and generate the same code.

The fourth row 40 of keys can take any form but is, commonly, a singlekey having a width equal to the ten adjacent keys of the rear rows 20,30. This single key 40 can, in another embodiment, be a set of keys,each having a separate corresponding definition. As used herein withrespect to keys, “rear” is a position that is further away from the userthan “front.”

With respect to FIGS. 10 to 13, the four vowel keys are shown in a frontor first row 16 and, in the embodiment of FIG. 10, they are positionedin a conventional lower position. Here, “lower” is used as a relativeword to compare the top surface of the keys in the first row 16 to thetop surface of the keys in the second, third, and fourth rows 20, 30,40, the top surfaces of which are all at the same height.

The keyboard 3 of the present invention includes a side column 50 of twoadditional keys 52 and 54, which are referred to herein as control keys.The keys in the second, third, and fourth rows 20, 30, 40 can each bedepressed to a lower-most position. The top surface of these keys whenin this lower-most position is relatively higher than the top surface ofthe control keys 52, 54 when these keys are not depressed. As such, whenthe left-most keys in either of the second, third, and fourth rows 20,30, 40 are depressed, a finger that is on the left edge will not depresseither of the two control keys 52, 54. In other words, the user mustmake a conscious decision to depress either or both of these keys.

These control keys 52, 54 have various uses. One exemplary use that isapplied in the writer 1 of the present invention expands the“vocabulary” of the stenographic keyboard defined by the first to fourthrows 16, 20, 30, 40. With these control keys 52, 54, when any one orboth are depressed, three additional keyboards can be accessed.Therefore, using the programming of the control system of the writer 1to assign a different definition to each key when either the firstcontrol key 52, the second control key 54, or both control keys 52, 54are depressed adds 72 additional keys to the twenty-four key originalkeyboard.

The control keys 52, 54 can be press-on/press-off keys so that whenpressed once, they stay depressed and, upon a second depression, theyturn off. This feature would be beneficial, for example, ifnon-activation of the keys 52, 54 is an English keyboard whereactivation of one of the two control keys 52, 54 would turn the keyboardinto a Spanish keyboard. The press-on/press-off function can be eithermechanical or electronic. More specifically, once pressed, the key canstay depressed until it is pressed a second time, where it willphysically return to its original starting height. Alternatively, oncethe key is depressed, a “flag,” or bit will be set indicating thetransition from a rest state to the depressed state. In this electronicembodiment, although the key physically returns to the starting reststate, the status of the key is “depressed.” To return the key to itsoriginal state, the key is transitioned again from the rest to thedepressed, and back to the rest state.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are plan views of the writer 1 according to the presentinvention in a second embodiment where the first row 16 of keys are inthe same plane as the second to fourth rows 20, 30, 40 of keys. Such aconfiguration of first row 16 keys has been found to reduce the tensionand stress on the stenographer's hands and wrists and makes it easierfor users with small hands to reach more distant keys when the vowelkeys are simultaneously depressed, for example. FIG. 12 is the keyboard3 installed in the writer 1 and FIG. 13 is a view of only the keyboard10 and its associated key actuation hardware. In this latter view,adjustment knobs 60, 70 for both tension and depth of stroke are visibleon either side of the keyboard 3. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, theseknobs 60, 70 can be easily reached by the user to permit key adjustmentswith one hand while the stenographer remains able to stroke the keyboardwith the other hand. This feature is found nowhere in the prior art topermit immediate tactile feedback.

In this embodiment, the knob 60 on the left-hand side adjusts the depthof stroke, for example. When it is turned, all the keys 16, 20, 30, 40,50 move up or down as a single unit. Correspondingly, the knob 70 on theright-hand side controls how much pressure is required to depress thekeys. This knob 70 sets pressure the same for all of the keys at thesame time. As set forth above, each of the keys 16 has a sensor(s) forsensing the depressed and fully depressed position and at least oneintermediate depressed position. This sensing of intermediate positionsprovides additional benefits that were previously not able to beachieved. Specifically, registration and custom sensitivity settings foreach key are now possible.

In an exemplary embodiment, to the right of a display screen 80 in FIG.16, there is a display actuator in the form of a scroll wheel. Thiswheel can be used to scroll shorthand notes, scroll English text, oradjust the registration point of the individual keys. It is this wheelthat assists the user to easily adjust a sensitivity of any key“on-the-fly.”

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary electronic display pattern 84 fortwenty-seven keys in each of the rows 16, 20, 30, 40, 50. When thewriter 1 is placed into an electronic adjustment mode, for example, thisexemplary pattern 84 is displayed. As a key is depressed, “H” in theexample shown, a key depression indicator 86, for example, a verticalbar, drops down from the top of the pattern 84. The farther down the keyis pressed, the further the bar 86 extends from the top of the pattern84. Colors can be used to assist the user in determining whether or nota particular key is depressed beyond its then-set registration point.For example, the bar 86 can be blue in color until it extends to a pointthat corresponds to the current registration point for that key. At thepoint in time when this registration point is reached, the bar 86 willturn green in color, for example. Whether the key is pressed or not, aregistration indicator 88, such as a red line, for example, can be usedto mark the exact registration point for that particular key. When thekey is released, the registration indicator 88 can be set to remain onthe display pattern 84. This representation of the registration point asa red line 88 can be moved up or down using the scroll wheel 82, forexample. Moving the line 88 upwards increases the sensitivity of thekey—the registration point is made to occur earlier in the stroke.Moving the line 88 downwards decreases the sensitivity of the key tohave the registration point occur later in the stroke.

FIG. 15 illustrates a key depression indicator 86 for the keycorresponding to “L” in the form of a blue bar descending from the topof the pattern 84. This key has not yet reached the correspondingregistration point and, therefore, the red line 88 is not visible. It isnoted that six other keys each show small blue bars, indicating thatsome force is being placed upon these six keys as the “L” key is beingdepressed. It is further noted that a red line 88 appears on the displaypattern 84 under the “H” key depression indicator. In this exemplaryregistration embodiment, the red line 88 represents the registrationpoint of a key that was last pressed far enough to be registered. Whenthe blue bar of the “H” key turns green, the red line 88 for the otherkey will disappear and the “H” key's registration line 88 will appear.

Thus, after a particular key is adjusted to the user's satisfaction, theuser can simply press another key for sensitivity adjustment. As soon asthe newly-pressed key reaches its registration point, the red line 88will appear for that key, and the former red line will be removed fromthe display pattern 84. In another optional embodiment, the writer 1 canbe programmed to display the registration points of all keyssimultaneously. If desired, an alternative embodiment can include anautomatic depth-sensing routine included in the microprocessorprogramming. A test stenographic dictation would be typed by the userand the machine would sense the user's key depth level to obtainregistration and, based upon that sensed data, the program would set thesensitivity for each key independently. For example, the sensitivitycould be set at 75% of the actual user's stroke throw. This settingcould be done at any time, whether before dictation when the user is nottired, or during dictation after the user has some measure of fatigue.This sensitivity setting process could be set by the user and repeatedat any time. Alternatively, the machine could be programmed to performan auto-setting program at 30 minute intervals during active dictation.

FIG. 16 illustrates the display pattern 84 where several keys are beingdepressed simultaneously. In this example, five keys have reached orpassed the respective registration point and are, therefore, displayinggreen bars 86—registration points for each key are marked by each of thefive corresponding red lines 88. Also shown in FIG. 16 are four bluebars 86 in the display pattern 84. These blue bars 86 represent keysthat have been depressed somewhat but have not passed their respectiveregistration points. This latter information is very instructive to theuser. For example, if the user desired to actually press one or more ofthese keys but one or more did not register, then those keys should beadjusted to be more sensitive. Alternatively, if the user did not desireto press one or more of these keys, then those keys should be adjustedto be less sensitive so that no indicator 86 appears, which could,possibly, corrupt accurate transcription.

Similarly, it may be desirable to adjust those keys that indicated adepression merely up to the registration point 88. If the red line 88 islocated very near the end of the green bar 88, then it would indicate tothe user that the user is just barely pressing the key correctly. Toprevent a non-registered stroke from occurring in the future, the userwould adjust this key to be slightly more sensitive. Conversely, if thered bar 88 appears very high up within a green bar (see key “F” forexample), the user might wish to adjust that key for less sensitivity,by using the scroll wheel, to lessen the work needed for the user'sfinger to adequately register that key.

FIGS. 18 to 21 show detail of the keyboard 10 and of the depth-of-stroke60 and the tension adjustment 70 mechanisms. FIGS. 22 and 23 areenlarged views of the depth-of-stroke adjustment mechanism 60 and thetension adjustment mechanism 70, respectively.

Other possible uses for the keystroke device 10 according to theinvention include musical instruments. In one example, the volume of thenote would increase or decrease based upon a level of the output signal.In another example, the volume of the note would increase dependent upona rate of change of the signal (velocity).

1. A stenographic device, comprising: a plurality of keys making up astandard stenographic keyboard, each key having a resting position, adepressed position, and a range of depression positions between theresting position and the depressed position; a memory; and a processorcommunicatively coupled to the memory and to the plurality of keys, theprocessor operable to store in the memory, for at least one of the keys,a depression indicator corresponding to a current depression position ofthe key selected from the resting position, the depressed position, andone of the depression positions within the range of depressionpositions.
 2. The stenographic device according to claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further operable to store in the memory a key-pressregistration point associated with one of the plurality of keys.
 3. Thestenographic device according to claim 1, wherein the processor isfurther operable to store in the memory a respective key-pressregistration point for each of the plurality of keys.
 4. Thestenographic device according to claim 2, wherein the key-pressregistration point is located within the range of depression positionsbetween the resting position and the depressed position.
 5. Thestenographic device according to claim 2, further comprising a keysensitivity adjuster operable to set the key-press registration point toa given value.
 6. The stenographic device according to claim 5, whereinthe given value corresponds to one of the range of depression positionsbetween the resting position and the depressed position.
 7. A method fordetermining key registration settings in a stenographic device, themethod comprising: receiving information indicating a depression depthof a key on a standard stenographic keyboard, the key having a movementrange between a key inactivity high and a key depression low, thedepression depth being located within a range of positions between thekey inactivity high and the key depression low; and storing in a memorya depression indicator corresponding to a current depression position ofthe key selected from the key inactivity high, the key depression low,and a position within the range of positions between the key inactivityhigh and the key depression low.
 8. The method according to claim 7,which further comprises: defining a registration point for the key as agiven value of the depression indicator where the key is actuated andregisters a stenographic keystroke of the key; and storing in the memorythe registration point of the key.
 9. The method according to claim 8,which further comprises comparing the depression indicator with theregistration point to thereby determine if the key is actuatedcurrently.
 10. The method according to claim 9, which further comprisesstoring in the memory an actuation of the key when the comparison of thedepression indicator with the registration point indicates that thecurrent depression depth of the key has reached the registration point;and
 11. The method according to claim 10, which further comprisesstoring in the memory a non-actuation of the key when the comparison ofthe depression indicator with the registration point indicates that thecurrent depression depth of the key has not reached the registrationpoint.
 12. The method according to claim 10, which further comprisesemitting an audible noise when the comparison of the depressionindicator with the registration point indicates that the currentdepression depth of the key has reached the registration point.
 13. Amethod for determining key registration settings in a stenographicdevice, the method comprising: receiving information indicatingrespective depression depths of keys on a standard stenographickeyboard, each of the keys having a movement range between a keyinactivity high and a key depression low, the depression depth beinglocated within a range of positions between the key inactivity high andthe key depression low; storing in a memory a depression indicatorcorresponding to a current depression position of each of the keys, eachcurrent depression position being selected from the key inactivity high,the key depression low, and a position within the range of positionsbetween the key inactivity high and the key depression low; comparingdepression indicators with a respective one of the registration pointsto thereby determine which of the keys is actuated currently; anddefining a stenographic keystroke from a combined set of each of thekeys currently actuated.
 14. The method according to claim 13, whichfurther comprises storing the stenographic keystroke in the memory.